october 7, 2004 los angeles, ca wimax forum embraces technology from several ieee standards groups...

October 7, 2004 • Los Angeles, CA • www.wimaxcon.com

WiMAX Forum Embraces Technology From Several IEEE Standards Groups To

Further WiFi and VoIP Adoption

The WiMAX Business Opportunity

Rob C Olson


WiMAX Is Emerging As The Dominant BWA Player

Among the many standards for Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) to the

enterprise, WiMAX is embracing technologies from several competing standard

groups.

Mobile BWA, Wireless LAN, Handoff Groups, and Seamless Converged

Communication Across Networks (SCCAN) are a few of the technologies

incorporated by WiMAX to enhance enterprise mobility.

Alcatel, Cisco, Lucent, Nortel, and Siemens have become principal members,

ensuring WiMAX Forum will continue to dominate the BWA equipment market

for an alternative last mile solution.



WiMAX is part of MAN equipment vendors’ user-centric BWA strategy to

combine fixed and mobile access designs, provide economies of scale, and

certify interoperable products.

Teleworker electronics applications have driven WiFi’s success, but are initially

unlikely to be created for WiMAX.

To exploit WiMAX’s roaming capabilities enterprise decision makers should

now be evaluating how to position and implement WiMAX in their network

infrastructure.



WiMAX provides the lowest latency error correction, no compromise multi-

carrier diversity, and the highest density of mobile stations under full load.

Thus, this solution has resolved technical roadblocks for non-line-of-sight, base

station density, air access method, and packet air interface issues.

Timely selection of manufacturer partners will help providers develop their

approach to the market.



WiMAX manufacturers will realize two major advantages:

Vendors will reduce costs because of lower BWA equipment inventory;

The component vendors, (Fujitsu, Intel, etc.) can schedule longer production runs,

resulting in a more efficient use of facilities.

Any manufacturer, not addressing WiMAX could be left behind in the Mobility

race.


Some IEEE Standards Groups Utilized by WiMAX

Group or Forum Benefit to other IEEE Groups

Wireless LAN Group Last “mini-mile” for IEEE groups

Broadband Wireless Access Group Provides interoperable backhaul for IEEE groups

Mobile Broadband Wireless Access Group Proves low latency mobility for 802.16e

Multimedia Independent Handover Group Specifies roaming for IEEE groups

Seamless Converged Communication Across Networks Forum

Enables roaming between Wireless LAN and cellular


Market Development The Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access Forum, known as WiMAX

Forum, is incorporating the best technology not only from the IEEE Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) Group, but also from the Mobile BWA, Wireless LAN (WLAN), and Handoff Groups as well as the IEEE Seamless Converged Communication Across Networks (SCCAN) Forum.

WiMAX represents a threat to ILECs’ local loop monopoly, Cellular carriers’ 3G deployment, Cable providers’ Internet access service, and Satellite providers’ multimedia content delivery.

Alcatel, Cisco, Intel, Lucent, Proxim, Motorola, Nortel, Siemens and others plan to produce interoperable equipment for certification by the WiMAX Forum in 2005.

Nortel has recently joined the Forum as a principal member.


Market Development WiMAX’s own BWA Group has proven itself as the first backhaul choice for

WLAN Access Points (AP) using multiple-input / multiple output adaptive antenna techniques.

The Mobile BWA Group has demonstrated Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (OFDM) based on user-specific, frequency-hopped sub-carriers and channel coding to offer low overhead, low latency error correction, no compromise multi-carrier diversity, and the highest density of mobile stations under full load.

The WLAN group has established its technology as the first access choice for

the “last 300 feet,” using load balancing and secure authentication methods among sectors.


Market Development The Handoff Group has defined Soft / Softer / Hard handover procedures and

stipulated persistence for the service, sessions, and applications.

SCCAN has supported Avaya MultiVantage software, Proxim Gateway and AP gear, and Motorola mobile stations for handover between WLAN and cellular systems while maintaining persistence. Proxim / Motorola are also committed to produce WiMAX gear.


Market Development WiMAX is seen as part of metropolitan area network infrastructure providers’

user-centric BWA strategy to combine fixed and mobile access designs, provide economies of scale, and certify interoperable Forum products.

The WiMAX business models provide residential / business BWA, Wi-Fi backhaul, Wi-Fi replacement and cellular backhaul.

Rural Carriers, IXCs, and International Carriers would benefit most. WiMAX eventually will target ILECs’ apartment complexes and business campuses suggesting significant implications to Enterprise Decision Makers, Channel Partners, and Manufacturers.


Implication To Enterprise Decision Makers

These announcements will permit the Enterprise to implement converged cellular voice and VoIP service through a single mobile device.

However, it is not yet economical for converged voice and data through the WLAN.

The Enterprise with WLANs can consider a dual platform as an overlay network until vendor access points and gateways become more widely available.

The Avaya-Proxim-Motorola alliance’s prospective customers face the fear of extra costs by being locked-in to a proprietary converged handset.



However, Motorola has joined the WiMAX Forum as a principal member, so migration to WiMAX might require only a software upgrade to a software-defined radio.

Furthermore, Proxim and Intel have announced plans to jointly develop and deliver WiMAX solutions for fixed and portable BWA equipment. Under this agreement, the two companies will develop base-station and subscriber APs to deliver BWA for data, voice and video services.

Also, as part of the collaboration, Proxim and Intel will co-develop a reference design for WiMAX CPE and the two companies will also work together to develop base stations based on the emerging IEEE 802.16e specification to enable broadband wireless portability.



Proxim intends to develop a WiMAX base station that will be marketed as the Proxim Tsunami MP.16 for enterprise and service providers.

The company plans to deliver its fixed WiMAX-certified broadband wireless solution in early 2005, and portable WiMAX-certified solutions in late 2005.

Returning to the fear factor, upgrades to Proxim-Avaya gear for WiMAX might be extensive, or require a forklift move to Tsunami MP.16.



WiMAX is positioned as a metro area technology; the consumer electronics applications that have driven 802.11’s success are unlikely to be newly created for 802.16.

But because Intel is planning to put WiMAX into laptops and other devices (Centrino Mobile Technology), these mobile station might have capability to choose the best of WiFi or WiMAX.

Intel will be putting WiMAX in the notebook in 2006 and Handhelds in 2007.

Consumer electronics applications for mobile workers would be redesigned eventually to take advantage of WiMAX’s unique roaming capabilities.


Implication To Channel Partners

With the growing adoption of telecommunications infrastructure convergence, InfoTech recommends the Service Provider and other channel partners consider teaming with a manufacturer to incorporate dual system handover capability in its portfolio.

BWA technical roadblocks have been resolved for

1) Non-Line-of-Sight

2) base station density

3) access method and

4) packet air interface issues


Implication To Channel Partners

Equipment from ArrayComm, Flarion, NEXTNET Wireless, Navini Networks and IPWireless have circumvented the LOS issue, so interest in broadband wireless access from carriers and other channel partners is increasing.

Cellular carriers and other channel partners should consider offering managed BWA service similar to Nextel’s offering in Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. Wireless MAN infrastructure providers should partner with a mobile service provider much as Flarion signed on with Nextel in North Carolina.

Another approach would be for a cellular carrier to acquire a WMAN equipment vendor just as ClearWire merged with NextNet.


23%

17%

27%

17%

30%

23%

38%

33%

58%

35%

79%

73%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Annual Help DeskCosts per Unit

Average Add-onCost per Handheld

AverageReplacement Costs

Annual IT ServicesCost per Unit

Average DeviceCost per Handheld

Annual AirtimeServices cost per

Unit

2003 2004

Most Important Organization Aspects (in Terms of Cost Components) That Comprise the Total Annual Cost of Ownership of Mobile Devices

*TCO = Total Cost of Ownership

Channel partners have many good selling points but most importantly WiMAX could alleviate annual airtime cost for corporate campus usage shown below:


Implication To Manufacturers

Employee mobility continues to grow. Enterprise decision makers are seeking platforms that can integrate wired and wireless capability trough a single architecture and through single devices.

InfoTech recommends BWA infrastructure providers should partner with a PBX equipment provider as shown by the Proxim–Avaya agreement.

As the most effective path-to-market, the PBX provider should partner with a wireline service provider for several reasons:

Obtaining backhaul services from the base station CPE to the cellular carrier switch,

Establishing managed IP telephony service, and

Building relationships with the service provider’s mobile station equipment suppliers.



Although the Proxim-Avaya agreement has yet to disclose its service provider partners, it has achieved goal number three by allying with Motorola from the very beginning.

Another instance of the infrastructure provider achieving goal number three is illustrated by ArrayComm partnering with Kyocera for mobile PCMCIA cards.



After the WiMAX testing / evaluation procedures are accepted by all concerned, Manufacturers will realize three types of advantages:

New equipment vendors (including Alcatel, Cisco, Lucent, Motorola, Nortel Networks, and Siemens) will make WiMAX products, but will need to maintain fewer products in inventory because of WiMAX standards.

The component vendors, e.g., Fujitsu and Intel, which have committed to fabricate chip sets and PC cards, will enjoy longer production runs.

Standard chips produced at large volume will lead to lower-cost and higher margin CPE. Eventually falling prices will result in faster, cheaper, and ubiquitous BWA for the enterprise.

october 7, 2004 los angeles, ca wimax forum embraces technology from several ieee standards groups...

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